How Merchant Foods Turned 3 Dessert Brands Into One Loyal Following

The Merchant Foods Journey

Merchant Foods is a Mumbai-based hospitality group built by a family that has been in the food and restaurant business since 1937. Its three dessert brands, Alice in Gelatoland, Ice Cream Factory, and Shahi Durbar, have grown a presence across 5 states in India, and each one built a loyal following of its own.

The next chapter was about making them thrive together.

The Challenge: Three Brands, One Customer, No Connection

Merchant Foods had a problem most multi-brand hospitality groups do not even realize they have.

Alice in Gelatoland, Ice Cream Factory, and Shahi Durbar were serving the same dessert-loving customers across their markets, but as three completely separate experiences. A customer obsessed with gelato at Alice in Gelatoland had no idea the same family also made some of the most indulgent falooda around at Shahi Durbar.

Instead of compounding their reach, the three brands were quietly competing with each other for the same customer base.

The Solution: One Loyalty Program Across All Three Brands

Merchant Foods partnered with Reelo to build a single, unified loyalty experience across Alice in Gelatoland, Ice Cream Factory, and Shahi Durbar.

Customers earned Treat Coins at any of the three brands and redeemed them at any of the three brands. Gelato today, falooda tomorrow, and ice cream over the weekend, all building towards the same reward. Every visit to one brand became a nudge towards the other two.

The Results: From Competing to Compounding

₹6.5 Lakh in Loyalty Revenue in Six Months

In just six months, the unified loyalty program generated ₹6.5 lakh in revenue, turning what used to be three disconnected customer bases into one shared, growing pool of repeat business.

12 Days Faster Between Visits

Customers started returning 12 days faster than before. With Treat Coins earned and redeemed across all three brands, the three separate experiences began to feel like one family, and customers responded by coming back sooner.

Why Their System Works

Merchant Foods' results come down to one insight: when a group runs multiple brands for the same customer, the biggest growth opportunity often lies between the brands, not within any single one of them.

By unifying the loyalty program, Merchant Foods stopped treating Alice in Gelatoland, Ice Cream Factory, and Shahi Durbar as three separate businesses chasing the same customer. Every rupee spent at one brand now builds towards a reward redeemable at any of the three, giving customers a reason to explore the full family instead of sticking to just one favorite.

That shift turned three brands quietly competing with each other into one system compounding growth for all of them.

The Bottom Line

Merchant Foods proved that owning multiple brands is not just about running them well individually. It is about connecting them, so that every customer relationship across the group gets stronger, together.